Our team at First Class Glass and Overhead Doors has extensive experience in installing glass windows and doors. In the past, glass was a major site of passive heat transfer in any building, as ordinary glass is very heat conductive. Over the years, material scientists have developed new forms of glass and new methods of manufacturing glass windows and doors, and these new units have largely solved this problem.
In this article, our team will provide an overview of how these insulated glass products work to help you understand why they are the best option for new builds and replacements.
- Layers – The first change designers made when creating insulated glass windows was to add an additional layer of glass. Instead of having just one pane of glass separating the interior of a building from the outside air, insulated glass units have at least two, which are spaces slightly apart to create an air pocket in between. These layers of glass act like layers of blankets, or like the two sets of doors in an airlock, making it harder for heat to pass through.
- Gas – The second major difference that sets insulated glass units apart is their use of inert gases in between the panes. Creating an air pocket between the layers of glass already increases the window’s insulating power, even when the air is just the ordinary mix of oxygen and nitrogen, but using an inert gas, such as argon or krypton, increases its insulative power even more.
- Desiccant – Lastly, most insulated glass windows contain a desiccant between the layers to absorb any moisture there. This prevents the windows from fogging up.